Work Text:
"Bad news! "
Shu opens his right eye, then his left. Panicked footsteps patter about outside his room, where he was meditating in silence from before dawn until now. He stares at the wall for a moment, steadying his breathing as he eases out of the mind state he enters when communing with the spirits and curses around him. The creatures silently dispersed from where they sat around and clung onto him, back into the shadows, out of the windows, into the walls.
' What might be the trouble this time…? ' Shu thinks to himself, as his expression darkens, ' if anything happened to Luca… '
It is not something hidden from everyone else - that Shu's feelings for Luca run deep. Even eliminating the romantic aspects, Shu cares a lot for the blond and would stop at literally nothing to exact vengeance if anything did happen to him, despite his reputation of being 'peaceful'.
Luca is just everything to him. If it was up to him, Shu would have accompanied Luca on every single mission he went on, never letting him out of his sight if possible. The first time he almost lost Luca is etched deep onto his mind.
Blood. A finger tattoo stained red. Rain pelting harshly against him when he found Luca sitting in an alleyway, slumped over his bleeding abdomen. The scent of blood. His cheeks were bruised, his knuckles red, wounded, blood dripping down his chin. Luca's eyes slowly dilated, going out of focus, but he smiled at Shu, a bloodied one, a weak one.
Something dark wraps around Shu, and he feels his mind sink into vengeance, revenge, kill, blood, kill, protect, Luca .
It was like he was someone else.
"Who did this to you?"
Luca didn't tell him. Shu found out eventually, through other channels, and swiftly made them pay. But Luca didn't like it when he found out.
" This is my business, Shu, I don't want to involve you in it when it's not necessary. "
But the reason Luca and Shu met was that Luca needed supernatural assistance with a tricky rival. Shu was already involved from the beginning, being the Kaneshiro family's expert on supernatural things.
" I know. But like I said, I don't want to involve you if it isn't necessary. I don't want to put you in danger, " Luca had said, then he bashfully smiled, " after all, we… are more than just a mafia boss and his advisor, right? "
How could Shu resist him, the pretty man who likely isn't even aware of his own beauty, his own radiance? So Shu agreed that he wouldn't meddle in Luca's business unless Luca needed him to.
" Thank you ." A relieved sigh dropped from Luca's lips; they tasted sweet laced with iron in the kiss they shared after.
The arrangement has been going well since then. Luca always came home, either with a huge grin on his face or a small smile on his face, no matter his condition. He always came home, and the mansion never got so noisy as the present. The noise outside keeps continuing, and Shu finally stands up and walks to the door, exiting into the hallway. One of the subordinates runs straight into him, falling back onto the floor in surprise. They stammer as he looks down on them.
"Y-Yamino-sa-"
"What's going on here?" Shu raises an eyebrow.
The subordinate hurriedly rushes to their feet, bowing 90 degrees, shouting at the top of their lungs, "I am sorry! The Boss is missing, likely in our enemy's hands right now! We are a mess, we have been struck in a vulnerable time! We are very sorry! I am very sorry!"
Luca is…
" What ?"
The subordinate freezes up, as Shu leans down and glares at them, " what did you say? "
There is cursed energy pooling at the sorcerer's feet, forming tendrils wrapping around him. The subordinate trembles in front of him, eyes fixed on the curses taking shape around Shu. They murmur unintelligibly, a chilling mix of their cursed language and human, but the bloodlust is obvious.
Why didn't they inform him sooner?!
"Shu." A soft voice calls out his name from behind him, and the curses recoil, diving down into the ceramic tiles and disappearing. Shu turns around to face Ike, glaring at him.
"What now?"
"Firstly, let's not kill the cubs, alright? Luca would be very upset to know you hurt one of them when he comes back," Ike smiles at him, tilting his head to the side slightly, "secondly, come follow me, would you?"
When he comes back, Ike said, not if he comes back.
"Go now," Shu says to the subordinate, "before I change my mind."
The subordinate bows deeply again at him, "thank you! Thank you!" and runs off to find their colleagues.
Ike smiles at Shu, that smile seemingly so innocent but the sorcerer is aware of what lurks underneath it. Ike works for the Kaneshiro Group as a treasurer and record keeper, and also a strategist when Luca needs him. No one here is pure, thoroughly tainted with mafia black blood running in their veins - except, ironically, perhaps the Boss himself who somehow remains innocent and naive about many things despite having stained his hands with blood and guts.
Shu follows Ike into the latter's room, relatively neat, but stacks of paper sit on various spots on the floor, with stray stationery lying about. The keeper sits at his desk, and gestures for Shu to take a seat on his bed, politely making do with his lack of multiple chairs. The sorcerer shakes his head and stares at Ike.
"What is it?" Shu asks. "What do you know about the current situation?"
Where is Luca?
Ike sighs softly, "Shu, calm down first. I don't want any of your curses jumping at me and ripping my throat out without warning."
I can't.
"I can't," Shu balls his hands into fists, "I can't possibly relax if Luca is in danger."
Ike closes his eyes, "Luca is in danger. But there's still time to save him before anything happens. At least, if what I planned works out."
Shu's gaze snaps up to look at Ike, eyes wide, "Luca is in danger? Where? Where is he?"
"It's likely the Lotus Group, one of the many rivals who have been expanding," Ike answers, calm, unlike Shu who has started pacing back and forth, "I've pinned down a few likely spots that they brought Luca to, but-"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Shu asks, voice struggling to contain his anxiety and anger, "let's get a squad together and raid them."
Ike sighs deeply, sifting through a tall stack of documents. Shu notices the pictures of their subordinates on the papers, and what seem to be medical reports. The record keeper, like a teacher explaining to a toddler, replies, "I wish we could, but in the process of shutting down many of Lotus Group's operations due to their rapid growth, we ourselves took quite a few hits — many of our subordinates can barely manage a proper fight at the moment. That's why the mansion has been in an uproar."
"How are you so calm?" Shu blurts out. It sort of upsets Shu, that Ike doesn't seem as worried for Luca as Shu is.
"Trust me, I'm worried as well for Luca. He is also very dear to me," something glints in Ike's eyes for a moment, "but I can't afford to lose my shit until we get him back."
You should calm down too, Shu.
Shu forcefully stops himself from pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He runs Ike's words through his mind again, he has to calm down and try to form a plan, "okay. So basically, we are in a shit situation. Luca's been taken by a rival, and we know where they might be, but we don't have the resources to save him. Great, just great ."
"We are running low on regular human capital, yes, but there are still… some resources we can use."
Shu turns to look at Ike again, and the keeper doesn't break eye contact as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, palms resting against each other as the tips of his fingers lean against his chin.
Carefully, Shu says, "what resources?"
"You. Your sorcerer abilities," Ike responds, never tearing his gaze away, "with your abilities, if you're willing to use them, we can save Luca."
"My abilities…?"
It's not that Shu is not willing to use them. If it meant Luca could be saved and brought back to safety, Shu could do anything. The sorcerer is simply… hesitant. Doubting whether or not he could pull a rescue off, all on his own.
'You can , ' hisses a voice in his mind so akin to his own, only a note lower and colder, ' I can.'
"What exactly is your plan? Am I going in alone?" Shu brushes off that voice and turns his attention back to Ike.
"Not completely alone, no, that's just mad. Vox will accompany you and carry out recon, but there's a time limit. We are vulnerable right now, and if anyone else catches onto this when you and Vox are gone, we are screwed over. You both have to go and come back with Luca in, at most, an hour."
"An hour ?!" Shu startles, "is that even-"
No. Even if it's impossible, he has to make it possible. For Luca.
"It can work. If everything goes right. The locations I've pinpointed are hotspots for Lotus activity, they aren't too far out. Try and see if you can sense Luca's whereabouts with your abilities, and Vox can move you and him there."
Sense Luca's…
"How did you know?"
"What?"
"That I can do that — detect Luca's location?"
Ike smiles, "there are many things I know. And, well, Vox is always eager to talk about what he knows, one of the things he knows about being what you are capable of."
Shu lets out a soft cough. They know that Shu put a mark on Luca, something which could tell him where Luca is when he needed it or felt like knowing. Though, Vox couldn't have told Ike how he did it, right?
(It would be a graphic conversation, the likes Ike did not favor. But this is Vox…)
No. He has to find Luca now.
"Show me then." Shu nods. He'll do it. An hour? Fine. Shu will get Luca back in half.
( That voice lets out a soft chuckle. )
(Let me out to play.)
Ike gestures for Shu to come over to his desk, as he lays out a map of the city with a few X's drawn on certain spots. "These X's are where the hotspots are. Chinatown, the warehouse district, B Club, and downtown. This should help you find him faster, right?"
Shu takes off his gloves and rests a hand on the map, taking a deep breath, as he focuses his mind on only Luca, "yes."
—
Luca stirs awake, groaning at the pain spread throughout his whole body. His jaw feels so stiff, and his wrists burn with the ropes tightly bound around them. He could feel the uncomfortable sensation of dried blood sticking onto his skin, his or someone else's? He tries to move his legs, only to find them sore and chained to… something.
The blond shakes his head gently, not wanting to aggravate the throbbing headache more, opening his eyes again to look around and examine his surroundings. He is in a dark place, he could see the stacks of crates around him, and a single dim lamp over his head. The crates almost resemble intimidating horrors in this situation. Luca groans again as his neck protests his movements.
Fuck… where is he?
He remembers leaving with a small group at the crack of dawn, to get to a deal or something. Then a hazy fight, bottles shattering, fists colliding with jaws, bullets firing… and then black. Then he's here. Shit. Did the other party sell him out to the people who captured him?
The lights come on suddenly, and Luca lets out a wince at the sting it causes to his eyes. Ahhh shit, the migraine is going to get worse . When he forces his eyes open despite the sting and through the tears, he sees more crates and forklifts in the distance, and he notes people heading his way.
The warehouse district then.
"Well, well, well, what a treat for myself," a gruff voice chuckles, "the great lion fallen and helpless at my feet."
A bearded man appears in Luca's field of vision, grinning at him, a gold tooth shining. Behind him, a dozen armed men stood, ready to hurt anyone at Santa's command. Luca realizes he recognizes this ripoff Santa Claus after a moment of squinting — isn't he the head of the Lotus Group?
Ahhhhh, Luca should have known. He should have seen this coming.
The man (Marcus, was it?) grabs Luca's cheeks harshly, turning the blond's face as he coos mockingly, "aw, what's this? The great Luca Kaneshiro is crying already? We haven't even gotten to the best part of the beating."
As if. Luca grunts, lifting his heavy leg and stomping on Marcus's foot. Marcus yelps, as he takes a few steps back, initially surprised, but then his expression twists into a sadistic one.
"Oh, look, kitty's still got some fangs," Marcus laughs, "wonder if they're really as sharp as he thinks they are?"
"Really, Marcus?" Luca forces out through the pain in his throat, he could really use some water, "you're playing dirty."
Marcus laughs louder, "don't talk like some fucking rookie! Our world is filthy, of course I play dirty."
Luca closes his eyes for a moment. His headache is getting worse. What the hell did they use on him? He needs to get out of here somehow. He could work his way through the ropes, but the chains? If he still had his lockpick somewhere…
And if he does get out of these bounds, there's Marcus and his minions. A dozen men and one idiot? If they weren't armed, Luca might have a better chance, but the universe isn't on his side this time. Plus whatever the hell they put in him… his head feels so heavy.
Ughhhh, if Lucy saw him like this, she would never stop humiliating him. After helping him, though. Some sister she is. Good thing she's all the way in America, safer and far from this turf war going on.
" — well, I'd love to kill you already, but I thought this would be the best time to get some… secrets out of you. Might as well squeeze out as much as we can get, before getting rid of you. It's not like anyone can help you anyway," Marcus rambles on, and Luca has pretty much tuned him out. Torture, secrets, violence, yada yada yada. Cliché script.
"How do you know? My men are pretty damn strong, y'know?" Luca chuckles, acting confident. His people are strong, but he's lying if he says they're not in a tight position right now. They had been shutting down so many of Lotus's operations, his men were exhausted and his numbers had taken some hits. But that doesn't mean all hope is lost. Luca would never lose faith in them like that, just like how they never lost their faith in him.
Besides, he had Vox, Ike, Mysta, Reimu, Nina, Selen, and…
Shu…
'I wonder how he's doing? I didn't even get to say goodbye to him this morning.'
Shu was already deep in his meditation when Luca was about to leave, so the blond decided to leave him be and went out.
Luca holds back a sigh of regret. He misses Shu.
"Ha! Don't make me laugh," Marcus sneers, "I know your men are struggling right now, barely holding on. My people are already heading there, ready to crush your little base to dust. You think they can spare anyone to rescue you? Damn idiot."
Luca feels his heart drop to his stomach. Fuck, didn't they conceal it well enough? Someone must have ratted them out. When he gets back, he has to root the traitor out, that is, if they're still alive. Shit, he has to get out of here and get to his family. If he doesn't, then Shu—
A loud crash sounded throughout the whole warehouse as a tall stack of huge crates behind two of Marcus's men tumbled and fell, crushing them. Marcus whips around, as his men scramble for their weapons. The lightbulbs above them shatter into pieces in unison, and the entire building is plunged into darkness again. Silence engulfs them, like the calm before the storm.
Something, or someone, prowls in the darkness.
"S-Show yourself!" Luca hears one of Marcus's men yell, and then he hears the same man shout in terror, then a loud crack of a neck being broken, and a choked death rattle.
Silence, once again. Luca could hear guns being cocked, ready to fire.
Marcus shouts into the dark, fumbling for a moment until his hand finds Luca's hair, and grabs hard onto it, pressing his gun's muzzle to the blond's temple, "don't try anything funny! I can kill your damn boss in a second!"
And then, in the darkness, a pair of green orbs glow. Eyes… Green eyes glow in the dark, clouded with anger and homicidal desire, as the air fills with a horrible thirst for blood.
Marcus stumbles on his feet, then yells out to his men, "Fire!"
The men, obedient as ever, immediately open fire, unloading their weapons on the glowing orbs, which disappear shortly after. In the dark, the sounds of their death rattles echo as they were eliminated one by one. Marcus's hands shake, to the point it felt like the gun would sooner fall out of his grip than put a bullet through Luca's skull, as the bearded man tried to find the attacker in the dark.
"You fucking—!"
A flash of green and Luca hears Marcus gasp and choke next to him. The gun clatters to the floor, as the attacker hits the man again and again. Marcus falls to the ground, gasping and begging for mercy, only to be cut off by another choked gasp. Luca feels a warm liquid hit his face at high velocity, as Marcus grows dead silent.
Luca listens to the footsteps near him, as someone or something stands before him and kneels down. A hand covered in something ( Blood. It has to be blood. ) caresses his right cheek, so gentle, so familiar, yet so alien.
Luca lets out a breath, and whispers into the dark, the word clawing at his throat, "... Shu?"
The hand pauses for a moment. Then, the person (Shu?) conjures a small orb of light, which allows Luca to confirm his suspicions. Shu is there, kneeling in front of him, blood splattered onto his clothes and face, smiling at him. With the light, Luca sees the puddles of blood on the floor around them and behind Shu.
"Luca," Shu calls sweetly, though his voice sounded slightly different, "you're safe now. I killed them for you."
Luca stares into Shu's eyes. Shu's eyes were never green. The blond forces out, "You… aren't the Shu I know… are you?"
'Shu' stops smiling, lips turning into a tight line, when he then breaks into a huge amused grin and lets out a loud laugh. "Smart boy! I couldn't fool you, good, good. If I did, that Yamino would have been so sad."
"... What?" Luca mumbles out. Fuck , his headache just keeps worsening.
'Shu' seems to notice this, his grin mellowing into a small smile, as he continues caressing Luca's cheek, "it doesn't matter. Look at you, you poor thing… Yamino is so worried about you."
Luca feels his head get heavier, as his vision starts to blur. He feels so… exhausted…
"Shu…"
Before he loses consciousness, Luca feels himself slump forward into strong warm arms, Shu's worried voice—the one he is used to—calling his name.
—
Luca startles awake, abruptly sitting up.
Where is he? He needs to help his family! What happened? He—
"Luca?" A voice calls, and Luca turns, wincing softly as his neck screams in protest at the quick movement.
Mysta stands there at the doorway, his right hand covered in bandages, and Luca notices the band-aids peeking out under his clothes and on his cheek and the corner of his lips. Clearly, Mysta got into a fight and was injured, but he is still fine enough to walk around like normal, given how he stands straight and doesn't limp as he walks over to Luca's bedside. And if Mysta is here, then Luca should be back in the mansion, right?
A quick look around confirms that Luca is indeed back in his room, an IV drip attached to his left hand, in his own bed.
"How are you feeling?" Mysta asks, sitting down on the stool beside Luca's bed. His voice sounds so gentle compared to his usual tone. He pours Luca a glass of water and hands it to the blond.
"I'm… okay. I can tolerate it," Luca answers after gratefully gulping the water down, staring at Mysta's bandaged right hand, "are you okay? What happened? Is everyone alright?"
"Woah, woah, okay, calm down," Mysta put up his hands, "I'm just here to take care of you. Shit happened, but you should ask Ike for the details, alright?"
"Where's Ike then?"
Mysta falls silent for a bit, frowning, as if hesitating to tell, then sighs as he answers, "he's watching over Shu at the moment."
Watching over?
"Watching over? What happened to Shu? Did anything happen to him? I—"
"Mysta, I told you not to tell him yet." Ike's voice is heard from the door's direction, and both Mysta and Luca turn to look at the keeper.
Ike isn't injured anywhere obvious. He stands there at the doorway, unharmed and fine, as elegant as ever. His heels click as he makes his way over to Luca's bedside, putting a hand against the blond's forehead and humming to himself, "good, your fever has gone down."
"Ike," Luca goes straight to the point, "where is Shu? What happened to him?"
If anything happened to Shu…
Ike glares at Mysta, who shrugs back at him, "he deserves to know, Ike."
"Ike," Luca repeats, " please . Is he alright?"
"He's resting, Luca," Ike spills, "he spent a lot of energy rescuing you. Vox and Reimu are watching over him, making sure his energy flow is stable."
"Is he okay? Will he be okay?"
"He will be. He just needs to get his energy back and stabilize himself again, don't worry," Ike reassures, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, I'm okay, I can deal with the pain," Luca answers immediately, and changes to another topic, "what happened while I was out? Was there an attack? A raid? Marcus said he sent people over and—"
"Luca," Ike utters.
Luca halts, pausing the words spilling out of his mouth.
"Breathe."
Inhale. Exhale. Ike watches him. Mysta stands up and leaves the room.
"Ike. How many did we lose?"
How many more lives were lost because of him? If he had been more careful, they wouldn't have…
Ike chuckles, "do you have such little faith in the cubs, Luca?"
Luca snaps up, "what are you talking about? Ike, it's not funny—"
"We didn't lose any more lives," Ike smiles, "there was a raid, yes, but everyone pushed back and everyone lived. Some are injured, yes, but everyone is stable and alive."
Suddenly, Luca's shoulders feel so light, "really? You aren't lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I? You would have found out and hated me more anyway if I did," Ike shakes his head, "they underestimated us, Luca. It worked out. Everyone is alive."
Luca feels his eyes tear up. They are all alive. They are all alive .
But, Shu…
"Can I see Shu?" Luca blurts out. He wants to see the sorcerer so badly.
Ike frowns, "I'm not sure, Luca. He's…"
"I don't see why not," Vox appears at the door, a cool smile on his face, "Luca should be allowed to come and see Shu."
Ike glares coldly at Vox, "is his condition suitable for visitors to come?"
"I think he'll improve if Luca comes," Vox replies.
"That doesn't answer my question, Vox."
Vox sighs in defeat, "Shu is stable. He woke up, but he's… distant. He needs something to ground himself with," the demon's eyes trail over to Luca, "like someone he cherishes deeply."
Luca feels his cheeks heat up a little.
"How about his energy? Is it still haywire?" Ike asks further, "and that… Hikarino. What happened to him?"
Hikarino .
Could that be the 'Shu' Luca met in the warehouse?
"Like I said, Shu is stable," Vox answers, "that means his energy flow is back to normal, and that guy is gone. Sleeping, maybe. He's back to our Shu, just distant. He'll improve faster with something or someone to ground him to… here ."
Back to our Shu .
Ike sighs, "is this really a good idea? Luca is recovering too, and—"
"I want to see Shu, Ike," Luca interrupts, grabbing onto Ike's sleeve, "I want to see him."
Ike's eyebrows knit together, concerned eyes meeting Luca's, "I… But you're still recovering, Luca."
"It'll be okay, Ike, I'll watch over him," Vox chimes in, now by Ike's side, "I'll make sure nothing happens to him, okay?"
Ike seems to hesitate again, before sighing deeply, "alright."
—
Ike and Vox helped Luca walk to Shu's room, despite the blond's protests and reassurances that he is fine and that he could tolerate the pain and walk like usual. Realizing they weren't going to let go of him, Luca resigned to the treatment with a pout on his face. At least they didn't put him in a wheelchair or something.
Luca sighs internally. Ike, always worrying way too much about him. Sometimes it felt like Ike was really his sibling instead of Lucy. Speaking of which, he wonders if Lucy is doing okay in America. He makes a mental note to give his twin a call later. Hopefully she hasn't heard of this fiasco. He doesn't want her to worry or panic.
She deserved to live a normal and happy life, despite her disagreement.
"We're here," Vox announces, then knocks softly on the door, "Reimu, open up."
The door creaks open softly, revealing half of Reimu's face. She peeks at them, raising an eyebrow at Vox, "so many coming in?"
Vox gives an apologetic look to Ike, who frowns in dissatisfaction, then replies, "nope, just me and Luca. You can come out now. I'll watch over Luca and Shu."
Reimu disappears behind the door, which then opens up wider, revealing her. She steps out, standing to the side to let Vox and Luca into the dark room. Ike stands stiffly, as if forcing himself to stay put.
"Anything happens, let us know," Reimu says, and Vox nods, closing the door after muttering a 'thanks'.
The room is dark, save for a dim nightlight by Shu's bed lighting up a small area. Luca heads to it, he could make out Shu's face and his figure resting on the bed from the small amount of light they had. He looks tired.
"Shu," Luca whispers once he makes it to Shu's bedside. Vox quietly moves a chair to the blond, which Luca thanks him for as he sits down. "Shu," Luca tries again, albeit louder this time.
A soft groan escapes Shu as the sorcerer stirs awake, opening his eyes slowly. Luca rests his hand above Shu's, and squeezes it lightly in joy when the sorcerer looks over to him.
"... Luca?" Shu calls out softly.
Luca couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face, "Shu! It's me!"
It's true what Vox said; that Shu felt distant. His purple eyes are clouded, only focusing on Luca and clearing up a little when the blond identifies himself. The smallest of smiles makes its way onto Shu's face, so small and faint you could miss it if you weren't looking properly.
Luca feels like crying observing Shu in this state. It's all because of him.
"Luca… you're alright."
"Shu…" Luca frowns, feeling tears gather in his eyes again, "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault…"
Luca feels Shu squeeze his hand gently, as the sorcerer shakes his head, and his smile grows a little bigger, as if trying to reassure Luca, "no, Luca. I did it because I wanted to."
Luca lifts their intertwined hands to his face, lips touching Shu's knuckles lightly, "yeah… but you shouldn't have had to make such a choice."
A soft, low chuckle comes from Shu, "but I'm glad I made it. I love you."
The sudden confession startles Luca, despite the blond already hearing those words from Shu before, many times. But it felt… it felt like it was his first time hearing it all over again.
"Luca," Shu calls his name again, "I really love you."
The first tear falls down Luca's cheek, as he squeezes Shu's hand and leaves a kiss on it, "I love you too, Shu. I love you."
Shu's smile grows bigger, his eyes becoming clearer. He doesn't feel as distant anymore. He feels closer, like he's more… there. Present.
"Luca… my everything," Shu mutters, "I'm so happy to see you."
Luca smiles through the tears rolling down his cheeks, as Shu opens his hand and caresses the blond's cheek. Luca leans into the touch, "I'm happy to see you too, Shu."
"Really…? I'm glad then," Shu replies, "stay with me."
"Yeah, of course."
Luca lets Shu caress his cheek and play with his hair, letting the sorcerer ground himself with the sensations. The room doesn't feel as dark, and Luca feels a lot lighter being with Shu. For now, he allows himself to slow down and melt into Shu's touch. The world can wait.
(Green eyes and bloodied hands appear in his mind's eye when Luca closes his eyes, but he shoves it to the back of his mind. Later. Later.)
For now, all that matters to him is Shu.